The present invention relates to a submergible tire structures. More particularly, it relates to a submergible tire structure that includes a weight in the lower portion of the tire that is sized and placed so that it holds the tire in a substantially upright position. One use of the submerged tire is the provision of a safe haven for marine life. Another use is for beach or bank stablization.
It is now well known to use old tires to form underwater and shoreline structures for a number of uses. For example, my U.S. Pat. No. 5,238,325, granted Aug. 24, 1993 and my U.S. Pat. No. 5,807,023, granted Sep. 15, 1998, both relate to artificial reef structures made from old tires.
Other United States patents disclosing various ways of making artificial reef structures from old tires are disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 3,928,701, granted Dec. 23, 1975, to Soll Roehner; U.S. Pat. No. 4,196,694, granted Apr. 8, 1980 to Robert R. Buchann; U.S. Pat. No. 4,334,499, granted Sep. 15, 1982 to Alan J. Baass; U.S. Pat. No. 5,024,560, granted Jun. 18, 1991, to Joseph W. Riley; U.S. Pat. No. 5,370,476, granted Dec. 6, 1994, to Rodolophe Streichenberger, and by Russian Patent No. 88-076424/11, published Aug. 15, 1987.
Breakwater structures formed from old tires are disclosed by the following U.S. Pat. No. 3,884,042, granted May 20, 1975, to Thomas R. Anderson and Edwin E. Fortner; U.S. Pat. No. 3,934,540, granted Jan. 27, 1976 to A J Bruner, Edward T. Visher; U. S. Pat. No. 4,139,319, granted Feb. 13, 1979 to Emmett C. Anderson; U.S. Pat. No. 4,150,909, granted Apr. 24, 1979 to George E. Hibarger, George G. Hibarger and David W. Daniel; U.S. Pat. No. 4,188,153, granted Feb. 12, 1980, to John E. Taylor; and by Russian Patent No. SU 1476-041, published Jan. 7, 1987; Russian Patent No. SU 1,511,313, published Sep. 30, 1989 and Russian Patent No. SU 1,546,540, published Mar. 17, 1988.
Most of the structures disclosed by the above patents are relatively complex structures and are difficult to handle and place. It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple way of providing submergible structures that are easy to handle and place. In its simplest form, the invention involves use of a single weighted tire. It also includes using the weighted tires in groups.
A submergible tire structure of the present invention is basically characterized by a vehicle tire and a weight for holding the tire in a substantially upright position. The tire has opposite side openings, opposite sidewalls radially outwardly of and surrounding the side opening, and a tread radially outwardly of and surround the sidewalls. The sidewalls include rims that border the side openings. The sidewalls and tread together define an annular chamber in the tire. According to the invention, the weight is positioned in and extends chordwise of a lower portion of the annular chamber, above a bottom portion of the tire tread. The weight is wider than the distance between the sidewalls when the tire is unstressed. The weight is dimensioned and shaped such that it spreads and holds apart the sidewalls and causes the lower portion of the tread below the weight to flatten out. The sidewalls engage portions of the weight to hold the weight in the tire.
In preferred form, the weight is a pre-cast concrete member having a top of a predetermined length, a bottom of a shorter length and ends that slope downwardly and inwardly from the top to the bottom.
The invention includes providing a tire with a weight in the form of an insert that fits into a lower portion of the annular chamber in the tire. The upper portion of the annular chamber is open space. As a result, air is trapped in the space when the tire is placed into a body of water and allowed to sink down into and settle on the bottom of the body of water.
The present invention also includes providing a weight in the form of an insert for the tire that includes edge surfaces that engage sidewall portions of the tire, causing the sidewall portions to bend outwardly and store spring energy in the sidewalls that hold the sidewalls against the edges.
Another aspect of the invention is to provide such a weighted tire with at least one corrodible iron insert in the tire above the weight. In preferred form, the tire is provided with a plurality of corrodible iron inserts.
It is also a part of the present invention to place two (and perhaps more) tires that are weighted at their bottoms by inserts in a side-by-side relationship and place them together in a body of water.